1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in particular but not exclusively, to the field of bus bar assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for connecting an electrical contact to a conductor provided with a tab, an electrical contact comprising a first pair of spaced apart contact members and a second pair of spaced apart contact tails, an electrical connector comprising an insulating housing and the electrical contact, a connector assembly comprising the connecting device and electrical contact, and a bus bar system with a backplane printed circuit board having at least one opening.
2. Brief Description of Earlier Developments
A large variety of conventional connector devices, electrical contacts, electrical connectors, connector assemblies and bus bar systems are available on the market.
Examples are given in the following US patents:
for spring sleeves:
for electrical contacts:
for connectors:
for backplane systems:
In spite of the large variety of such conventional devices, the industry still suffers from a lack of user friendly, safe connecting elements for use in combination, in particular but not exclusively, with the tabs of flat conductors forming part of a bus bar located beneath a backplane PCB (Printed Circuit Board).
An object of the present invention is to fulfil this need of the industry.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for connecting an electrical contact to a conductor provided with a tab, comprising a socket member structured to receive the tab of the conductor and the electrical contact in order to interconnect these tab and contact, and a tubular member having a first section in which the socket member fits and a second section through which the tab is inserted in the socket member, this second section defining a seat for the conductor.
According to preferred embodiments of the device:
the socket member comprises a metallic spring sleeve, and the spring sleeve comprises an axial slit;
the spring sleeve has a generally rectangular cross section and four rectangular walls, the axial slit extends centrally of one of these rectangular walls delimited by first and second axial corners of the spring sleeve, from the first axial corner said one wall deviates inwardly, bends a first time inwardly substantially at right angle, and bends a second time toward the second axial corner again substantially at right angle, and from the second axial corner said one wall deviates inwardly, bends a first time inwardly substantially at right angle, and bends a second time toward the first axial corner again substantially at right angle;
the spring sleeve has a generally rectangular cross section, the tab is generally flat, and the electrical contact comprises two generally flat and parallel contact tails which, when inserted in the spring sleeve along with the tab, are disposed on opposite sides of the generally flat tab;
the conductor is generally flat and the tab is integral and coplanar with this generally flat conductor, and the seat comprises two coplanar and axially extending slots in the second section of the tubular member;
the spring sleeve has a generally rectangular cross section, the tubular member comprises a shroud having a generally rectangular cross section and two narrow walls, and the two slots extend axially in the two narrow walls, respectively; and
the shroud is made of electrically insulating material.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical contact comprising a first pair of mutually spaced apart and electrically conductive contact members for insertion in a cavity of an electrically insulating housing to form a conductor-receiving receptacle, and a second pair of electrically conductive contact tails connected to the contact members and spaced apart from each other to receive between them an electrical conductor.
In accordance with preferred embodiments of this electrical contact:
the contact members are generally flat and parallel to each other, and the contact tails are generally flat and parallel to each other;
the contact members are generally parallel to the contact tails, and a spacing between the contact members is different from a spacing between the contact tails; and
the contact members and contact tails are interconnected and made of a single piece of sheet metal, and the contact tails are embossed.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector comprising:
an electrically insulating housing formed with a cavity having a front opening and a rear opening; and
an electrical contact comprising:
a first pair of mutually spaced apart and electrically conductive contact members for insertion in the cavity through the rear opening to form a conductor-receiving receptacle accessible through the front opening; and
a second pair of electrically conductive contact tails for insertion in a socket member, these contact tails being connected to the contact members, extending rearwardly from the housing, and being spaced apart from each other to receive between them an electrical conductor.
According to a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector, the electrically insulating housing is an elongated housing comprising a series of said cavities, and the electrical connector comprises a plurality of electrical contacts respectively associated to the cavities of the series.
Preferably, the electrical connector comprises in the housing additional conductor-receiving receptacles different from the conductor-receiving receptacles formed by the insertion of the first pairs of contact members in the respective cavities of the series.
According to a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a connector assembly for use with an electrical conductor having a tab accessible through an opening in a board, comprising a tab-receiving socket member, a tubular member, and electrically insulating connector housing and an electrical contact. The tubular member has a first section in which the socket member fits and a second section through which the tab is inserted in the socket member, this second section defining a seat for the electrical conductor. The electrically insulating connector housing is located on one side of the board opposite to the electrical conductor and formed with a cavity having a front opening and a rear opening. The electrical contact comprises a first pair of mutually spaced apart and electrically conductive contact members for insertion in the cavity through the rear opening to form a conductor-receiving receptacle accessible through the front opening. The electrical contact further comprises a second pair of electrically conductive contact tails connected to the contact members, extending rearwardly from the connector housing and spaced apart from each other to receive between them the tab and for insertion in the socket member on opposite sides of the tab.
In accordance with a still further aspect, the present invention is concerned with a bus bar system comprising:
a backplane printed circuit board comprising a rear face;
at least one generally flat bus bar conductor running behind the backplane printed circuit board, this bus bar conductor comprising an edge adjacent to the rear face of the backplane printed circuit board and integral tabs distributed along this edge of the bus bar conductor; and
at least one opening cut into the backplane printed circuit board for access and connection to at least one tab.
Preferably, the bus bar system comprises a plurality of parallel generally flat bus bar conductors running behind the backplane printed circuit board and comprising respective parallel edges coextending adjacent to the rear face of the backplane printed circuit board and groups of respective integral tabs distributed along these edges, and an opening cut into the backplane printed circuit board for each group of tabs for access and connection to these tabs, for example through the above described connecting device and electrical contact.
Advantageously, the bus bar system may comprise two backplane printed circuit boards each comprising a rear face. In this preferred embodiment, the generally flat bus bar conductors run behind the two backplane printed circuit boards, and each comprise two edges adjacent to the rear faces of the two backplane printed circuit boards, respectively, and integral tabs distributed along said two edges of the bus bar conductor, for example through the above described connecting device and electrical contact.
The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings.